Otitis Media: ABFM practice questions

6 board-style questions on otitis media in the PulseMD family medicine question bank, written against current guidelines with the reference cited on each question. Two free samples below; the full set with answers, explanations, and spaced review is free to start.

Sample question 1

A 3-year-old boy is brought to the clinic with 2 days of right ear pain, fever of 39.1C (102.4F), and irritability. Otoscopic examination reveals a bulging, erythematous tympanic membrane with decreased mobility on pneumatic otoscopy. He has no drug allergies and has not received antibiotics in the past 30 days. What is the most appropriate treatment?

  1. Amoxicillin-clavulanate 90 mg/kg/day for 10 days
  2. Azithromycin for 5 days
  3. Amoxicillin 90 mg/kg/day for 10 days
  4. Observation with analgesics and follow-up in 48-72 hours

Sample question 2

A 15-month-old child presents with 2 days of ear tugging, irritability, and fever of 39C. Otoscopic exam reveals a bulging, erythematous, immobile tympanic membrane with purulent effusion in the left ear. What is the first-line antibiotic treatment?

  1. Ciprofloxacin ear drops
  2. Azithromycin
  3. Amoxicillin
  4. Ceftriaxone

Create a free PulseMD account to answer these, see the explanations, and practice five minutes a day.

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